Free Elmo!

“The man who accused Kevin Clash, the voice and puppeteer of the Sesame Street character Elmo, of an under-age sexual relationship has recanted that claim, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

The reversal came a day after the claim was published by the gossip Web site TMZ, threatening Mr. Clash’s reputation and alarming parents and other fans of the beloved children’s television franchise.”

“Mr. Clash said through a spokeswoman: ‘I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further.’

The statements were followed by detectable sighs of relief from those who had been alarmed by seeing the words ‘under-age sex’ in the same sentence as “Elmo” (whose name was trending on Twitter nationwide on Tuesday evening).

‘We are pleased that this matter has been brought to a close, and we are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode,’ said Sesame Workshop, the organization that produces ‘Sesame Street.’”

More:

“Accuser Recants Allegation Against Elmo Puppeteer,” Brian Stelter and Elizabeth Jensen, New York Times blog